Third Sunday after Easter

[music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [applause] >> Thank you so much. I invite you all to stand as you're able. Hallelujah, Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. So, salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne and to the lamb. Amen. Let us give thanks for the gifts of baptism. Merciful God, you are the one who was, who is, and who is to come. You lead us beside still waters. We thank you for the waters of creation. Morning dew, gentle rain, roaring waves. We thank you for the waters that nourish us, for Dutch Buffalo Creek, Coldwater Creek, and the Rocky River. Blessed are you. You guide us to the springs of the water of life. Jesus Christ, you are the faithful witness who accompanies us on our journeys. We give you thanks for your life-giving death and resurrection. We praise you for joining us in joy and sorrow. Blessed are you. You guide us to the springs of the water of life. Holy Spirit, you anoint our head with oil and our cup overflows. Break down barriers that divide us. Fill us with the breath of peace. Blessed are you. You guide us to the springs of the water of life. Holy one, we thank you for the gifts and grace of baptism and for making us a new creation. We join with saints and angels giving you honor and praise now and forever. Amen. >> [music and singing] [singing] [music] [singing and music] [music and singing] [music] [music and singing] [music] [singing] [music] [music and singing] [music] [singing] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [music and singing] [music] [singing] [music] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music and singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [music] [music and singing] [music and singing] [music] [music and singing] [music] [singing] [music] >> The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you. >> [music] [music] [music] [singing] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Let us pray. Oh God, your son makes himself known to all his disciples in the breaking of bread. Open the eyes of our faith that we may see him in his redeeming work, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. You may be seated and at this time I invite our youngest disciples to come forward. Good morning. Good morning. It's a beautiful day, isn't it? Yeah. Windy? A little windy, you're right. Yes. But otherwise not too shabby, right? Well, and maybe a little rain, yes. That's good. We need that. So, it's good to see each of you this morning. And I have a question for you, like always. I'm curious. Have you ever been around someone that you knew, but you didn't recognize them at first? It took you a while to recognize who they were. Maybe? Maybe not? No? Well, may Yes, oh good. All right. Yeah. Well, today we hear a story about this. We hear about two of Jesus' disciples who are walking down a road. They're leaving Jerusalem. This is after Jesus was crucified. And they're walking and they're grieving. They're very sad because because Jesus died and they are just wondering what is going on. And then they're joined by this stranger who keeps talking to them and he's challenging them. He's asking them hard questions and he's he's kind of opening things up a little bit for them. And then it's it's a long walk and so by the time they're they're ready to go their separate ways, ready for dinner, this man was going to keep on walking and those disciples said, "No, don't don't keep on walking. Stay with us because it's getting a little late and we're going to have some dinner." And so the stranger stays and they realize when he breaks the bread and blesses it that it's actually Jesus. Jesus was with them the entire time. Pretty cool, huh? So for you and me, what this means is is that sometimes maybe we're going through a really difficult situation, maybe we're sad or we're afraid, sometimes Jesus is there with us all along and we may just not realize it. He's walking with us through it all even if we can't recognize him. So let us pray. Dear God, thank you for the gift of your son who rose from the dead and walks with us wherever we go. In Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you so much. So good to see each of you this morning. Happy Easter continues. Our first reading is from the book of Acts. Peter standing with the 11 raised his voice and addressed the crowd. Therefore, let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified. Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." So those who welcomed his message were baptized and that day about 3,000 persons were added. Christ is risen. This is the word of life. We'll read a portion of Psalm 116 responsively. I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and my supplications. The snares of death encompassed me, the pangs of Sheol had a hold on me. I suffered distress and anguish. What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? I will pay my vows to the Lord in presence of all people. Oh Lord, I am your servant. I am your servant, the child of serving girl. I have loosed my You have loosed my bonds. I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence [clears throat] of all his people. Our second reading is from 1 Peter. If you invoke as Father the one who judges impartially according to each person's work, live in fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile conduct inherited from your ancestors not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory so that your trust and hope are in God. Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual affection, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew not of perishable but of imperishable seed through the living and enduring word of God. Christ is risen. This is the word of life. >> [music] [singing] [music] [music] [singing] [music] >> The Holy Gospel according to Luke. Now on that same day, two disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem, and talking with with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place in these days?" He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. And how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning and they did not find his body there and they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him." Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared. Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to to them things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he was going on. But they urged him strongly saying, "Stay with us because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Were our hearts not burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem and they found the 11 and their companions gathered together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed and he has appeared to Simon." Then they told what had happened on the road and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. The Gospel of the Lord. In the name of God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. How many of you here today have a smart watch? Who's got a smart watch on? Okay. Pretty good number of people. How many of you are are tracking your your sleep score, your steps, all this stuff, you know, you want to know all the numbers? Oh, yeah, okay. We have a professional here who's doing that. That's good. Yeah. Trying to, you know, to life hack a little bit, right? You know, we live in an age of a thing called biohacking. Have you noticed, you know, there's a lot of strip malls around? There's all sorts of infrared sauna places that are coming up. You've likely You've heard this term, I'm sure some of you before because people today are obsessed with optimizing their human health. We want to optimize. You know, we've got the cold plunges, we've got the intermittent fasting, all of this stuff. It can become a little bit obsessive, but it's also kind of fascinating. And in many ways, I think we've kind of applied a a similar type of philosophy to uh to churches and to to worship, right? We're trying to to make ourselves seem hip and with it and young and so we we we have the same type of mindset where maybe if uh you know, as I'm coming up, the hallelujah's nice, but what about what about like a smoke machine? That would be kind of cool. That would make me seem a little bit more hip, I think. Maybe we could get a nice LED panel behind me, you know, try to maybe manufacture a little bit a religious high through some of these technological enhancements. Whatever it may be, there are all sorts of churches that are of course wanting to do this cuz we got to appeal to the young ones. We've got to innovate, right? Both of these solutions though, whether it's for a health or for a church or whatever it may be as we try to appear younger and hipper or healthier or whatever, they all kind of fade. They all leave us wanting more and more. God is here whether or not we feel the spiritual high when we're walking out the door. And you know, as wellness trends go, no matter what you do, I think we all know how things will ultimately end. I'm curious. Have you ever heard of the blue zones? The blue zones. These are the increasingly rare places on Earth where people consistently live the longest, have the healthiest lives. These are places like Sardinia, Italy, like a Greek island that I can't quite pronounce, like Okinawa, Japan, like the small town on the coastal side the Pacific coastal side of Costa Rica, and oddly enough like Loma Linda, California. A lot of Seventh-day Adventists there who who have a good plant-based diet. In the blue zones, folks thrive by really like like clinging to to the ancient. They live simply, they walk the same paths, they they gather with the same people, they have close ties, good relationships, and there's a predictable rhythm that's that their life is made up year after year. There's no hacks. It's just it's normal living. And there's certainly a great deal of wisdom to this type of living as well. The Road to Emmaus, our gospel text this morning, is one of my all-time favorite passages. If you were here just about 2 years ago, it's surprising it's been almost 2 years since I was installed as your pastor at St. John's. At the installation service, I was able to pick any bit of scripture to have as I began my journey here and I chose this gospel text, the walk to Emmaus. It's it's a great story and I really do believe that this one story encapsulates the whole story of Christian life of the Christian life for us. It it just sums everything up, especially I think for people like you, people who value heritage, people who value simple living over trends and flashiness. In our text this morning, we encounter two disciples who are deeply self-occupied. They're walking and they're walking in this thick fog of grief because Jesus has died, Jesus was crucified, and all of their expectations, when they were shouting "Hosanna, Hosanna" when he had just raised Lazarus from the dead, when he made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, all of their expect expectations were just shattered when Jesus ultimately suffered and died when Jesus was crucified. And then of course the 3 days go by and they hear some grumblings, but still still their expectations are shattered. They're so busy trying to analyze what had taken place. I mean, there was a lot. There's shock, there's anger, there's disappointment, there's whatever it may be, they're so self-occupied trying to analyze stuff that they may not necessarily connect the dots when the stranger appears next to them, starts walking along with them. They cannot see that this stranger is in fact the savior that they're speaking of and trying to make sense of how he had left them. Jesus speaks to these two disciples. He listens to them first, he lets them explain why why they're so upset, allowing them to to tell their story, and then interestingly Jesus reframes their story. Beginning with Moses and then with all the prophets, he interprets the scriptures for them, showing how everything that has happened is a part of something much larger. It's a part of the story of their faith, something deeper, something that they could not yet see. It is by all accounts it's a it's a pretty profound moment of teaching. And still, as he's walking alongside them and questioning them and and teaching them, something is stirring, something is is brewing, they think, but but we hear about that a little bit later. And yet still they don't recognize him. They're challenged by God's presence, but they don't recognize why. They are in the presence of the living Christ, yet they very much remain blind, distracted by the messiness of their own human logic, of trying to put things together in a in a human way. It doesn't work. And this is so important because it means that even a very powerful encounter with scripture, even a moment of deep theological insight, even when hearts are set on fire, none of that is yet the moment of recognition. All these things had happened and they still just don't realize it. It's leading them somewhere, but it's certainly not the thing itself. When they reach the village, the day is nearly over and they urge him to stay. There's just something about this guy who's walking with them and had been challenging them, and there was something so compelling that the day was almost over. Hey, stay with us, eat, please. So he goes in and he stays with them. They sit down at the table together, and in that quiet, very ordinary moment, everything everything changes for those disciples. Jesus sitting at that table takes bread, he blesses it, and he gives it to them. And then suddenly their eyes are opened. Grace, it breaks through right here through the ritual, through through what they had known Jesus to do, and I think it is here in this very familiar ritual that Christ gave us when we can also recognize what is most important. In the meal, in this God-given ritual, we are not required to be creative or to to innovate or to, you know, tap into some trend. We don't have to manufacture awe. We are simply invited. We're invited, thanks be to God, to participate in this simple ritual where the Lord makes himself known to us. And the this is where the where it's known that the risen Lord has been walking with us all along the way even when we didn't recognize him or know it, when the Lord was walking with us and listening to our grief, listening to our confusion, and still staying with us through it all. You see, it's not just in their attempts to understand, it's not just whatever it may be along the road that made them recognize Jesus, but it was at the table, at the breaking of the bread, where Jesus became known to them. And I think that this tells us something pretty important about how Jesus chooses to be known. This story, it models very much what takes place here at worship, in church, when we gather together. At St. John's, we aren't here to put on a flashy show. So if you're looking for that, it's not the best place. This is not the place where we want to tap into all the trends and fads. And in many ways the work that we do here as God's people of St. John's, it's quiet. It's quiet and yet acts of deep love and service to each other. And in many ways I think discipleship at St. John's kind of it models a a blue zone type of of behavior. It's the same pattern too that we experience here in this place that happened in the night in which Jesus was handed over. The same pattern that continues week after week in the life of the church. It's not new, it's not creative, it's not trendy, it's not tailored to our preferences, and yet it is precisely here where Christ makes himself known to us. Look at how our story ends today. The disciples are so transformed by the encounter with the risen Christ that they immediately get up. They get up and they return and they go to Jerusalem. They're sent out, sent out to proclaim the goodness of the Lord. And at St. John's, we don't just gather here on Sundays because we've reached this spiritual summit, we've figured everything out. We don't come because we've arrived at some perfect understanding of God or faith or life. We haven't found the the spiritual hack. If anything If anything, we come here week after week because we resonate a little bit with those disciples who are walking down that road not really knowing what's going on. We've We're carrying disappointments with us in the church. We've got our own questions. We've got our own attempts at trying to sort out life that are with us. And then what does Jesus do? Jesus meets us here in this place week after week showing up doing what Jesus does best. And then we don't just have this event and stay put. Then we're sent out. All of us are sent out ready for a new week. It's not that we have to invent something new or different each time. We don't need to be flashy to try to connect people with God. We We just We We come together as God's people. We stand and we confess the creed not because we invented it but because it has been handed down generation for generation after generation by believers joining us to the whole communion of saints, those who have gone before us in the faith across all time and place. We pray the Lord's Prayer not because we found those perfect words but because these are the words that Jesus himself gave to us when we can't come up with words ourselves. And then we come forward. We come to the table not because we fully understand all the particularities of of Jesus. Not because we understand everything that is happening. We come forward because Christ invites us. Christ invites us to receive. And in these simple repeated actions these ordinary rituals something extraordinary happens. By gathering by praying by confessing, by breaking bread, all of these things in a world that is constantly turned inward, focused on oneself, focused on all the hacks, on the performance, on having the right answers, we come together here in this place week after week and we do something that is truly radically different. We come forward and we receive. We receive. We receive the grace of God not by something that we've mustered up or figured out or done. And in receiving, we become people who can finally recognize what has been true all along the way. We remember and we hear again [snorts] that Christ is already here. That Christ is always walking with us, speaking to us, and keeps on giving himself to us week after week even if we don't recognize it. Even when we did not see him. Maybe even especially then. And we get the gift of recognizing him in the breaking of the bread. Thanks be to God. And amen. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> With the whole church, we confess our faith. We believe in one God, the Father the almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate. He suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. Rejoicing in the resurrection of our Lord, entrusting in his presence among us even when we do not yet recognize him, let us pray for the church, the world, and all in need. Risen Christ, you walked alongside the disciples on the road to Emmaus, drawing near in their confusion and grief. Walk with your church now. When we are weary, when we lose sight of your promises, when we are tempted to turn inward, open the scriptures to us again. Set our hearts on fire with your word and make yourself known to us in the breaking of the bread. Hear us, oh God. Your mercy is great. Risen Christ, you meet us along the roads of this world in places of uncertainty, division, and fear. Be present among the nations. Guide leaders toward justice and peace. Walk with refugees and the displaced and all who journey through hardship. Where hope feels lost, draw near and restore it. Hear us, oh God. Your mercy is great. Risen Christ, you are revealed in the ordinary, at the table, in conversation, and our shared life. Bless St. John's. Strengthen our ministries. Be known among us in our worship, our fellowship, and our care for one another. Bless our preschool, its teachers, students, and families that they may glimpse your presence even in the smallest moments. Hear us, oh God. Your mercy is great. Risen Christ, you do not abandon us in sorrow but walk with us through it all. Be near to those who are grieving, who are sick, or are struggling in any way, especially those we now name out loud or in the silence of our hearts. Sit with them in their pain. Listen to their stories and bring healing, comfort, and hope. When they cannot yet see you, remain with them until they do. Hear us, oh God. Your mercy is great. Risen Christ, you turn us back toward one another with good news. Send us out from this place as witnesses, peoples whose hearts burn with your presence. Give us courage to share what we have seen and heard not with perfect words but with lives shaped by your grace. Hear us, oh God. Your mercy is great. Risen Christ, you are known to us in the breaking of the bread. And one day we will see you face to face. We give you thanks for all the saints who have walked the road before us and now rest in your eternal presence. Keep us in communion with them until that day. Hear us, oh God. Your mercy is great. Into your hands, oh God, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in your mercy through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen. And now may the peace of the risen Lord be with you all. Please share a sign of God's peace. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [music] [music] [music] [singing] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Let us pray together. Merciful God, accept the fruits of our labor gathered to give you glory. You set a table before us, a glimpse of that great day we will hunger and thirst no more. Nourish us with the body and blood of Jesus that goodness and mercy may follow us and bless the world you love in the name of Jesus. Amen. The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is indeed right, our duty, and our joy that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, for the glorious resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, the true Pascal Lamb who gave himself to take away our sin, who in dying has destroyed death and in rising has brought us to eternal life. And so with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of the resurrection, with earth and sea and all their creatures, and with angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim, we praise your name and join their unending hymn. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Holy, living, and loving God, we praise you for creating the heavens and the earth. We bless you for bringing Noah and his family through the waters of the flood, for freeing your people Israel from the bonds of slavery, and for sending your son to be our redeemer. We give you thanks for Jesus who living among us healed the sick, fed the hungry, and with a love stronger than death gave his life for others. In the night which he was handed over, our Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, "Take and eat. This is my body given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me." >> [music] >> And again after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin." Remembering therefore his life-giving death and glorious resurrection, we await your promised life for all this dying world. Bring your spirit Breathe your spirit on us and on this bread and cup. Carry us in your arms from death to life, that we may live as your chosen ones, clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Through him, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit in your holy church, both now and forever. >> [music] >> And as our savior Christ taught us, we are bold to say, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not in temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. Come to the table of new life, and receive the risen Lord. You may be seated. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> I invite you to stand as you're able. And now may the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you, and keep you in his grace. Amen. Let us pray together. Holy God, through this meal, you have made your home among us, and are making all things new. Send us now to speak peace to anxious hearts, to love our enemies, and to bring your healing to the nations. In the name of Jesus. Amen. And now may almighty God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. Amen. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> [music] [music] >> Hallelujah. >> [music] >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> [music] >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> [music] >> Hallelujah.